Elderly man feared missing after leaving longhouse for clinic in Engkilili

KUCHING (Feb 20): An 84-year-old man is feared missing after leaving his longhouse on Wednesday morning to collect medication from the Skim Skrang Clinic in Engkilili.

The Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) received a distress call at 9.07pm on Thursday after the man failed to return home.

The victim, identified as Igoh Sengaling, reportedly departed his home at Rumah Richard Tawan, Tebarong in Lubok Skrang, in his own boat at around 7am on Feb 18.

He was expected to return after visiting the clinic but never arrived.

“Family members and fellow longhouse residents carried out a search around the surrounding area and nearby jungle but found no trace of him,” Bomba said in a statement.

A police report was lodged earlier at 7.51pm on Thursday before a rescue team from Betong fire station dispatched to the area.

The first day of the search-and-rescue (SAR) operation today involved seven personnel and a four-wheel-drive vehicle, focusing on the area where the man was last seen.